Nady makes good use of DH slot

Cubs' recovering outfielder takes advantage of at-bats

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com

CUBS 4, RANGERS 1at Mesa, Ariz.Tuesday, March 16

Rangers at the plate: Chris Davis entered the game with hits in 11 of his previous 15 plate appearances, and was leading the Cactus League in batting, but the first baseman went 0-for-3, striking out three times. Justin Smoak led off the eighth with a home run. As a team, the Rangers have hit six homers this spring, fewest in the American League.

Cubs at the plate: Xavier Nady delivered a two-out, two-run double in the third and scored on Marlon Byrd's single in front of 13,157 fans, the fourth-largest crowd in the history of HoHoKam Park. Jeff Baker hit a solo homer with two outs in the seventh. Tyler Colvin singled in his only at-bat and now leads the Cactus League with a .533 batting average.

Rangers on the mound: Neftali Feliz gave up three runs on six hits over three innings, striking out four. C.J. Wilson struck out five of the first eight batters he faced before serving up Baker's blast.

Cubs on the mound: Carlos Silva, battling for a spot in the rotation, had his best outing. He held the Rangers to two hits and struck out three over four scoreless innings. After giving up six runs on seven hits in two innings in his first outing, Silva now has thrown seven scoreless frames. Esmailin Caridad, expected to handle the setup duties, struck out three over two innings.

Sights & Sounds

Spring Training Info

Worth noting: Tuesday's audio webcast on texasrangers.com featured the father-son combo of John and Chris Blake, a broadcasting first for the Blake family. John Blake, the Rangers' executive vice president, has filled in over the years on the team's radio broadcast. Chris is a junior at TCU and has broadcast Horned Frogs baseball and Cape Cod League games. Speaking of family ties, Greg Maddux rejoined the Cubs on Tuesday in Mesa, just in time to see his brother, Mike, who is the Rangers' pitching coach.

Cactus League records: Cubs 9-5; Rangers 4-8

Up next: After an off-day on Wednesday, the Cubs travel to Camelback Ranch to face the Los Angeles Dodgers at 3:05 CT on Thursday. First baseman Derrek Lee (bruised foot) and third baseman Aramis Ramirez (sore triceps muscle) both were expected back in the lineup. Ryan Dempster will make his third start. In his last outing Saturday against the White Sox, Dempster gave up one hit over three innings.

The Rangers celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a 9:05 p.m. CT game on Wednesday against the Mariners at the Peoria Sports Complex. Scott Feldman, Dustin Nippert and Darren Oliver will be on the mound for a game that will be televised on FOX Sports Southwest. Josh Hamilton, who has a bruised left hand, is hoping to be back in the lineup against Mariners pitcher Ian Snell. He was hit by a pitch on Monday night against the Giants.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.